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MLB draft 2013: Yankees mock draft roundup

A roundup of all the major mock drafts, who the Yankees are projected to take, players too look out for, and scouting reports on potential Yankee draftees.

Doug Pensinger

Baseball America

Baseball America put together a list of the top 500 potential prospects for the 2013 draft. the Yankees have the 26th, 32nd, 33rd, and 66th picks of the draft to take them through the first two rounds. BA ranks Junior College shortstop Tim Anderson as the 26th best prospect, a prospect the Yankees have been connected to in several mock drafts. They rank California right-hander Alex Balog and North Carolina high school righty Hunter Harvey at 32 and 33. Louisiana high school lefty Garrett Williams ranks at #66. This is not necessarily who the Yankees will pick, but it's worth keeping an eye on as the draft go through the rounds.

BA's Jim Callis put together three different mock drafts for the first round and he has the Yankees drafting a lot of the same players. In his first draft he has the Yankees taking Notre Dame third baseman Eric Jagielo with their first pick in order to help shore up the left side of their infield. He has them selecting New Jersey high school right-hander Rob Kaminsky to help replenish the Yankees' system with some arms. With their third pick of the first round, Callis believes the Yankees will pick Oklahoma high school catcher Jon Denney, who should be able to stay behind the plate, but also has the bat to profile at another positon, if need be.

In his second mock draft he has the Yankees taking Kaminsky first because of his polished abilities as a high schooler. He then has them taking Indiana State University lefty Sean Manaea as a high-risk/high-reward signing because they have the money to take a chance on a pitcher once thought to be a first overall pick. He finishes the first round with the Yankees selecting Denney again because he has the most offensive upside of any other catcher in the draft.

In his third draft he sticks with Jagielo, Kaminsky, and Denney for the Yankees. The thought is that Kamisnky has a better chance to be around later in the first round and the Yankees love offensive catchers, so Denney is a likely favorite of their's.

Baseball America has an experts draft where they had their editorial staff alternate picks and take the prospects they would draft if they were in charge of each organization, not necessarily who that organization might pick. Jim Callis had the Yankees' 26th pick of the draft and he chose South California high school right-hander Phil Bickford. For him, "his 90-96 mph fastball has tons of life, and along with his tall, lean frame earns him comparisons to Jered Weaver." As great a pick as that might be, Callis thinks he could be taken at least 10 picks ahead of the Yankees.

John Manuel drafted Virginia high school right-hander Bobby Wahl because he believes he has performed even without his best stuff. He thinks Wahl has already shown good makeup when he was the closer for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team.

Nathan Rhode used the Yankees last first round pick to grab a bat in Georgia high schooler Josh Hart. He likes his chances of sticking in the middle infield and "he has wiry strength, good speed and polish, having played for a nationally ranked program at Parkview High (Lilburn, Ga.). Power isn't a big part of his game, but he'll wear out the gaps and provide good defense."

In their final mock on draft day, Jim Callis has the Yankees taking Eric Jagielo, Rob Kaminsky, and Billy McKinney, who recently worked out for the team.

Keith Law (subscription required)

Law ranked the top 100 prospects for the 2013 draft and Eric Jagielo was ranked at #26, Arizona State right-hander Trevor Williams was ranked #32, Missouri high school left-hander Jacob Brentz was ranked #33, and Bobby Wahl was ranked #66.

In his first mock draft he has the Yankees drafting Stanford outfielder Austin Wilson, who they have scouted intensely, Jon Denney, because of their love for offense-first catchers, and Arizona high school shortstop Dustin Peterson, who has staying power in the middle infield.

In his second and third drafts he has the Yankees taking Texas high school left fielder Billy McKinney, Eric Jagielo next, Tennessee high school right-hander Kyle Serrano.

In his final mock before the draft, Law has the Yankees drafting Eric Jagielo, Billy McKinney, and California high school left-hander Ian Clarkin.

Sports Illustrated

Dave Perkin from Sports Illustrated had some mock drafts for the first round. In his first draft he had the Yankees taking Phil Bickford, citing his helium rise from a later round prospect to a first rounder. Bickford's velocity has improved, but he will still need to develop two more pitches. He also has them drafting Rob Kaminsky, profiling him as a mid-rotation starter, and the athletic Tim Anderson.

In his second mock draft, he has the Yankees grabbing Sean Manaea before he falls any further because of injury concerns. He has them also drafting Austin Wilson, a big and powerful outfielder who has yet to match his potential, and Vanderbilt lefty Kevin Ziomek, who Perkin describes as "a mature, aggressive lefty with a solid array of pitches."

ScoutingBaseball.com

Kiley McDaniel at ScoutingBaseball.com released three mock drafts and, in his first, had the Yankees taking Rob Kaminsky, who will have to be plucked at #26 before the Reds can draft him and they will have to hope that their other preferences make it to their next pick. They also take Time Anderson, who the Yankees have scouted heavily, and California State Fullerton right fielder Michael Lorenzen, who has been a 98 mph reliever, but could also be an everyday outfielder.

In his second mock draft, he has the Yankees taking Rob Kaminsky with their first pick again, Billy McKinney, and Florida right-hander Jonathon Crawford even though "scouts don't love his body, arm action or delivery but when the stuff is at its best (93-97 touching 99 mph with a plus-plus slider), it belongs well above this pick."

In his third mock draft, McDaniel has the Yankees picking Jonathon Crawford, Rob Kaminsky, and Austin Wilson.

MLB Draft Insider

MLB Draft Insider published quite a number of mock drafts in anticipation for the 2013 draft. In their first mock draft the Yankees took Billy McKinney, Rob Kaminsky, and Eric Jagielo.

In their second they draft Virginia right-hander Conor Jones, Louisiana high school outfielder Ivan Wilson, and South Carolina high school catcher Nick Ciuffo.

In the third they drafted Hunter Harvey, Jonathon Crawford, and Samford outfielder Phil Ervin.

In the fourth they drafted Minnesota outfielder Ryan Boldt, Jonathon Crawford, and California high school left-hander Blake Taylor.

In the fifth draft there were some familiar names in Eric Jagielo, Tim Anderson, and Jon Denney.

More familiar names popped up in draft number six with the Yankees drafting Eric Jagielo again, Trevor Williams, and Dustin Peterson.

Minor League Ball

In Minor Legue Ball's first mock draft, John Sickels and Matt Garrioch alternate picks for the first round. Garrioch chose Rob Kaminsky for the Yankees, while Sickels picked California high school left-hander Matt Krook, who may have pitched himself much further up the draft order. Garrioch picked again and took California high school catcher Jeremy Martinez, who has slid down a few pegs.

In a second mock draft, John Sickels had the Yankees drafting Rob Kaminsky because he is the best prep arm in the draft, Chris Anderson, and Seminole State right-hander Teddy Stankiewicz, who passed on the Mets after being drafted in the second round last year.

Minor League Ball also recently had a community mock draft where members of the community were chosen to represent each organization and draft to their needs. The Yankees ended up coming away with Jon Denney, Arizona shortstop Riley Unroe, and Marshall University right-hander Aaron Blair as first round picks.

John Sickels also ranked the top 50 pitchers in the 2013 draft. Potential Yankee draftees in the top 10 are Sean Manaea at #6 and Rob Kaminsky at #8, but there are many other pitchers o the list that have been connected to New York.

Jonathan Mayo

Major League Baseball's own draft expect, Jonathan Mayo, has the Yankees picking Jon Denney, Rob Kaminsky, and Tim Anderson.

Consensus

Mark Normandin of SB Nation combined mock drafts from Jim Callis, Keith Law, John Sickels, Jonathan Mayo, and Dave Perkin in order to create a mock draft consensus of who will be drafted where. According to this new draft, the Yankees are going to draft Billy McKinney, Rob Kaminsky, and Eric Jagielo.

Michael Eder from It's About the Money tried to create a consensus of the top draft rankings for the 2013 MLB draft. He combined draft rankings from Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America, Keith Law at ESPN, Jonathon Mayo at MLB.com, and Scout.com's MLB Draft Top 111. Names commonly connected to the Yankees came it with Rob Kaminsky at #26 and Billy McKinney at #32.

cookiedabookie

Our very own cookiedabookie wrote about what kind of talent the Yankees tend to take at each level and identified Rob Kaminsky, Florida high school shortstop Oscar Mercado, Nick Ciuffo, Hunter Harvey, and Billy McKinney as potential draft picks for the Yankees.

In his next draft discussion post he identified potential shortstops the Yankees could draft, including a scouting report and who they might project to be.

In his final draft discussion post he wrote about potential college arms that the Yankees could draft and included a scouting report for each player.

cookie also focused on potential draft picks after the first round, identifying several players for the second, third and fourth rounds.

Yankees Family

Kevin Long's son, Jaron Long, is a pitcher at Ohio State and is eligible for the draft as a junior.

Paul O'Neill's nephew, Michael O'Neill, is an outfielder for Michigan and ranked at #82 on the IIATMS.

Andy Pettitte's son, Josh Pettitte, is a senior at Deer Park High School in Texas and is eligible for the draft.

LJ Mazzilli, son of Ex-Yankees player and coach, Lee Mazzilli, is eligible for the draft and was even picked by the Minnesota Twins in the ninth round last year before he decided to return to the University of Connecticut.

Things to keep in mind

I previously identified the Yankees' biggest needs were at shortstop, third base, and starting pitcher. There are two ways to go about the draft; get the best guy available or draft what you need and I still believe the Yankees will go with the best player on the board, no matter where they play.

Though not many people have connected him to the Yankees, I believe that Sean Manaea looks like a perfect storm in terms of a Yankees draft pick. He is a left-hander who was previously projected as a potential #1 overall draft pick before injuries to his hip and shoulder brought him down a few notches. Teams may shy away from an injury risk like Manaea, but the Yankees are the type of organization that could try to do something unconventional and they have the money available to take a chance on a possible big time starter, if the injuries don't become a longterm concern.

Potential #1 overall draft pick, Jonathan Gray, who was drafted by the Yankees in the 10th round back in 2011, and #41 Aaron Blair both tested positive for Adderall, a banned stimulant under MLB guidelines. It's highly unlikely that either will be hurt in the draft, but it's worth paying attention to. I have hope that everyone will stay away from Gray and he will somehow, magically, fall to the Yankees. I'll keep dreaming.

ESPN Scouting Reports (subscription required)

Chris Anderon | RHP | Jacksonville - Once thought to be a top 15 draft pick, overuse brought his 90-95 mph fastball down to 89-93 mph and has had command issues. His strong secondary pitches and big presence on the mound can't be ignored when considering his potential.

Tim Anderson | SS | East Central Community College (Mississippi) - He looks to be one of the only shortstops in the draft with the ability to stay at the position, even though he has a weak arm for the left side of the infield. He has the chance at several plus tools and is very fast, but is not very polished for a first rounder and is primarily more of a slap hitter.

Phil Bickford | RHP | Oaks Christian High School (California) - He looks to be a high-risk/high-reward signing who could fall to the second round. He sits at 90-93 mph and hits 96 with the potential to reach 100 later in his career, but he still lacks a breaking pitch.

Aaron Blair | RHP | Marshall - He throws 90-93 mph and occasionally flashed 95 with an improved changeup and a slider. His size and repertoire project him to be a durable, but low-ceiling No. 4 starter.

Jacob Brentz | LHP | Parkway South High School (Missouri) - He could have the best pure left-handed arm in the draft, hitting between 97-100 mph, but needs a lot of fixing in his delivery.

Nick Ciuffo | C | Lexington High School (South Carolina) - He is the best receiving catcher in the draft and has a simple, yet powerful, left-handed swing. He projects to stay behind the plate, but he gets criticized for playing with too much energy. He'll project as an above-average regular as a position player if he can't stay healthy.

Jonathon Crawford | RHP | Florida - He throws in the 90-95 mph range with an above-average slider, but has no fastball command and a worrisome delivery. He could end up as a high-leverage reliever if he can't figure out his fastball.

Jon Denney | C | Yukon High School (Oklahoma) - He has raw power from a simple and direct swing and his good bat control will allow him to hit for average and power. Unfortunately, he has looked shaky behind the plate and tends to slap the ball instead of catch it. If he sticks behind the plate he could be an All-Star with the bat.

Josh Hart | OF | Parkview High School (Georgia) - He has a short, quick swing that is perfect for a contact hitter, yet allows for little power. He's athletic and fast enough that his best chance is in centerfield.

Hunter Harvey | RHP | Bandys High School (North Carolina) - He has not committed to any university, so he is very signable and could become a top of the rotation pitcher. He is aggressive, despite a lack of proper command to pitch that way and his out pitch is an inconsistent curveball. He pitches 90-94, but that could go up as he gains weight and irons out some mechanical flaws.

Matt Krook | LHP | St. Ignatius College Preparatory - He pitches in the 88-92 mph range and can get up to 94 in the span of a start. He has a hammer curveball and gets a good downhill plane, but his mechanics will need some ironing out. A lot of his potential is tied to his projectable frame.

Eric Jagielo | 3B | Notre Dame - He might be one of the most polished college bats in the draft and will be an above average defender a third who can hit for some power and get on base.

Rob Kaminsky | LHP | Saint Joseph Regional High School - He is one of the most advances prep arms in the draft and has good command with a strong curveball. He throws 90-92 mph, but isn't likely to add much velocity because he has mostly filled out already. Kaminsky looks to be a little fly ball prone, which will limit his ceiling to a No. 4 starter, but could improve his projections because of his command.

Michael Lorenzen | RHP | California State Fullerton - He has a plus glove with an 80-grade arm and above-average speed, but his bat is weak and he has poor bat control and plate discipline. He can also be a 96-98 mph reliever if he wants to be drafted higher.

Sean Manaea | LHP | Indiana State - He came out of nowhere to impress in the Cape Cod League by throwing 96 mph with a plus slider, but since then his velocity has been down and his slider has been inconsistent. He has dealt with several injuries and right now he projects as a league-average starter, but he could get healthy and recapture what he showed in 2012.

Billy McKinney | LF | Plano West High School (Texas) - Considering his defensive limitations, he will have to hit in order to make it as an every day player, but he has shown more than enough promise where that won't be an issue.

Dustin Peterson | SS | Gilbert High School (Arizona) - His lean body will allow him to stay at second base, but will probably not make it as a shortstop in the pros. He has a simple swing, but he is a fastball hitter at this point and will need to learn to pick offspeed pitches.

Kyle Serrano | RHP | Farragut High School (Tennessee) - He is a pitcher who as blown up this spring and now projects as a No. 2 starter with the best curveball in the draft and an above average change up. He can hit 90-94 mph and, while he is on the short side, he as the secondary stuff to make up for any concerns teams might have about his height.

Teddy Stankiewicz | RHP | Seminole State College - He pitches in the 91-96 mph range with fringy command and four average breaking pitches. His delivery is kind of a mess, but he's athletic enough to fix it, though it's easy to see him being moved to the bullpen.

Garrett Williams | LHP | Calvary Baptist Academy (Louisiana) - He normally throws in the 88-92 mph range, but occasionally hits 90-94 mph with a strong curveball. If he can utilize his lower half he should be able to add a consistent amount of velocity.

Trevor Williams | RHP | Arizona State - He doesn't miss a lot of bats despite his average to above-average stuff, but scouts like his plus control. He pitches in the 90-94 range and has a deceptive change up and an inconsistent above-average slider. He has a consistent and healthy delivery, but projects as a league-average fourth starter unless he develops consistent breaking pitches.

Austin Wilson | OF | Standford - Despite dealing with injuries over the last year, he still has easy power and the best hand strength in the draft. He projects as an above-average right fielder with a strong arm.

Kevin Ziomek | LHP | Vanderbilt - He has been ranked lower than his statistics might indicate because of an unusual arm action that might end up making him a reliever. He has average stuff at 88-92 mph and an inconsistent breaking ball.

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